MUSE MONDAY
Please welcome Jana Richards, author, and Damon Greyson, hero, to Muse Monday on Discover... We love character interviews. You're going to want to buy the book and learn more. Okay, take it away Jana and Damon.
Jana Richards: Why did you move to Masonville?
Damon Greyson: My sister was already here, and after my grandfather died
and left a large three-story building in Masonville to me in his will, I wanted
to turn it into something useful. It’s going to become a retreat for veterans
with PTSD, a place of healing. I teamed up with my sister Blair and her new
husband Garrett, who himself is a veteran. On the farm that Granddad left to
Blair, we will incorporate equine therapy for the vets. They have four rescue
horses now and my hope is that the retreat allows Blair to rescue more horses
in the future, something she’s passionate about.
But mostly it’s about family. Now that my brother Ben and his family live here in Masonville too, I want to stay close. I steered clear of the idea of family for a long time, but now I realize I need my siblings.
JR: What did you think of Charlotte Saunders when you met her again for
the first time in years?
DG: I thought she was beautiful, just like she was as a teenager when I had a huge crush on her. Maybe even more beautiful. But she’s changed.
JR: What do you mean?
DG: Charlotte is still kind and funny, but she’s far more cautious now, and less outgoing than she used to be. She seems…less than she used to be. It concerns me.
JR: Why does it concern you?
DG: Because when we were kids, Charlotte was so vivacious. She was up for any adventure and ready to take on the world. The woman I see now is far more subdued and anxious. She was going to travel the globe with Doctors Without Borders and make a difference in people’s lives. I’m sure she still makes a difference in people’s lives in her job as a nurse, but she never left her hometown. I know people change. They grow up and mature. But I have a gut feeling something happened to Charlotte to make that change.
JR: What do you think that was?
DG: I don’t think Charlotte would want me to speculate publicly about that.
JR: All right, fair enough. What about you? You say you had a huge crush
on her as a teenager. Did you ever tell her how you felt about her?
DG: Hell, no. Charlotte was way out of my league. I was so shy and awkward and filled with shame back then that I could barely speak to her. I was happy she simply talked to me. Charlotte was always kind to me. She tried to draw me into conversations and included me in activities when I would have hidden away. And she defended me. Aside from my grandparents, no one had ever defended me before.
JR: Why do you say you were filled with shame?
DG: I’ve been open for several years about being sexually abused as a child. It wasn’t until I was in my twenties that I could speak about it. When I was a teenager, I felt so different, so isolated from other kids my age. When I finally stepped forward and got some help, I was shocked at the number of survivors there are out there. I went through a lot of therapy to get to where I am today.
JR: What do you want your relationship with Charlotte to be now that
you’re both adults?
DG: (Damon hesitates before speaking.) I would like to be friends. I hope someday she’ll be able to confide in me.
JR: Is that all you want from Charlotte? Friendship?
DG: If that’s all she has to give me, it will have to be enough. (He stands up.) Are we finished? I’ve got things to do.
JR: Sure. We’re done for now. Maybe we can talk later?
DG: (Walks away.) Maybe.
JR: (Watches Damon walk away.) I doubt I’ll get him to talk much more about Charlotte.
STRONG ENOUGH, book 4 in the Masonville
Small Town Romance Series
Now Available!
https://books2read.com/Strong-Enough-by-Jana-Richards
Excerpt:
Blair
stepped outside, leaving Charlotte and Damon alone in the kitchen. Charlotte
looked everywhere but at him, appearing ill at ease. He was sure their kiss
last night was the cause of her discomfort.
“How
are you this morning, Charlotte?”
She
shrugged. “I could use more coffee, but other than that, I’m good.”
“We’ll
take a coffee break later.” He set his box on the table and moved closer to
her, keeping his voice low. “I don’t regret our kiss last night for a minute,
but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable around me, okay? I won’t say anything.
It’s no one’s business but ours.”
She
gave a slight nod. “Okay.”
“I
would never hurt you, Charlotte.” His fingers itched to touch her, but he
sensed it would be exactly the wrong thing to do right now.
For the
first time, Charlotte lifted her eyes to his and met his gaze directly. Again,
the image of the skittish colt came to mind. Last night, in a moment of high
emotion, she’d let down her guard, and he’d experienced the passion that lay
just under the surface of her control. He wanted that again, he realized. Again
and again.
“How do
you know I won’t hurt you?” she whispered.
Book Links:
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Author Bio:
When Jana Richards read her first romance novel, she
immediately knew two things: she had to commit the stories running through her
head to paper, and they had to end with a happily ever after. She also knew
she’d found what she was meant to do. Since then she’s never met a romance
genre she didn’t like. She writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and
historical romance set in World War Two, in lengths ranging from short story to
full length novel. Just for fun, she throws in generous helpings of humor, and
the occasional dash of the paranormal.
In her life away from writing, Jana is a mother to
two grown daughters, and a wife to her husband Warren. She enjoys golf, yoga,
movies, concerts, travel and reading, not necessarily in that order. She and
her husband live in Winnipeg, Canada. She loves to hear from readers and can be
reached through her website at www.janarichards.com
Social Media Links:
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